Automatic Mobile Luminous Device

ABSTRACT

An automatic luminous device whose use does not require an external manual switch, which is substituted by another internal automatic switch, which activates the device only when it is placed on a sufficiently dense metal surface, nor does it require a connecting cable to an external power source, which is replaced by a preferably rechargeable battery. It was designed as an emergency light for police vehicles, and as a back-up light and is fitted with a base or casing ( 1 ) and a translucent shade ( 2 ), which, when coupled together, form a single body. Externally, the base of the casing ( 1 ) is fitted with two or more permanent magnets ( 3 ) in order to block the said casing ( 1 ), when it is placed on a sufficiently dense metal platform ( 4 ). Internally, the said casing ( 1 ) is fitted with an automatic trigger switch ( 5 ), which is solidly connected to a connector ( 6 ) by means of a flange ( 16 ) which is in turn solidly attached to a pin ( 7 ); the said connector ( 6 ) is in turn solidly attached by means of conventional wiring to a rechargeable battery ( 8 ), an external back-up connector ( 9 ), and the charge ( 10 ), perfectly insulated from the rest of the elements making up the device by means of any kind of separating element.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION

As its name indicates, it is a luminous device which, having all the elements necessary for its proper working, it is novel in that an external manual switch is not required for it to operate. The said switch is replaced by an internal automatic one, which implies that the device only switches on when resting on a sufficiently dense metal surface. In addition, there is no need for the use of a connecting cable to an external power supply as this is replaced by a battery, preferably rechargeable.

The device is conceived as an emergency light for police vehicles, and a back-up light in the event of possible breakdowns, accidents and any other emergency situation calling for the use of a device of this kind, without the typical inconveniences of this type of device, related to the use of cables and manual switches.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The use of mobile luminous devices by different police forces and public services in general is widely known in the state of the technique. Mobile luminous emergency devices do exist, some in the shape of a jumper wire with several lights or elements, and others fitted with just one light. Some have a fixed source of light, to which a rotating reflecting shade is added, and others work with flares produced by a stroboscopic lamp, or flash. However, all the devices share a common characteristic, and that is they all need to be connected by cable to an external power supply; in addition, in all cases, they require a manual switch for their activation, or the actual connection plug acts as a switch.

Mobile devices are normally designed for providing a camouflaged police vehicle with an element which is indispensable for revealing its presence and being seen by other drivers. Similarly, certain machines, cranes, or industrial vehicles use this type of device in special circumstances, normally to alert users to the presence of elements or obstacles on the road, as a safety complement to the workers themselves.

In the case of the police vehicles, the mobile luminous device must be preferably placed on the left side of the roof of the vehicle, as this allows the emergency vehicle to be clearly seen by the drivers in front of them. The fact that these devices need to be connected to a power supply, in this case, the housing of the car lighter, implies that the cable must pass in front of the driver's arms, objectively hindering the movements of the same, distracting the attention that should be focussed on driving, at moments when he or she should be paying the greatest attention. Another of the drawbacks of these devices is that the vehicle's occupant must take care to ensure that the device does not become disconnected from the power supply due to the sudden swinging movement of the vehicle as a consequence of potholes or bends, or the accidental rubbing of the driver's arms against the connecting cable. Moreover, the fact that a cable passes through the car's interior implies that the window must remain open, resulting in noises and vibrations that impede communication between the driver and occupant, and with other colleagues via the intercommunicator. These inconveniences are further aggravated when the driver of the car must leave the vehicle, as the connecting cable will always hinder his movements for opening the door, possibly causing bodily harm or even accidentally leading to the destruction of the device.

Another of the inconveniences of these devices is the room they take up in the vehicle, as the aim is to conceal a device that reveals the use to which the vehicle is put, and which is normally made up of a large-sized casing, and its wiring, which is usually quite long and difficult to roll up.

There are no known wireless mobile luminous devices or such that are activated automatically.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The device which is the object of the present invention offers important developments with respect to the devices currently in use, as, on the one hand, they definitively eliminate the use of a connecting cable to a power supply and all the problems deriving from the same, and, on the other, they start operating by means of an automatically activated switch only when they are placed on a suitable surface, in this case, a metal one, automatically deactivating when removed from the same.

The device is made up of a casing fitted with several magnets, combined or not with back-up suction pads, for fixing the device to a metal base. An automatic connection and disconnection switch is internally incorporated in the base. This switch is made up of a cylinder containing a third magnet which runs vertically like a piston, equipped with an axle, and fastened to an internal base by a coil spring, which allows limited movement of the said magnet when it is placed near a sufficiently dense metal surface. Either on its upper end or on its side, the cylinder has the necessary terminals or elements to close an electrical circuit when the magnet is activated by the force of attraction towards the aforementioned metal surface, giving way to the current of the power supply source, in this case, a rechargeable battery inside the casing itself, triggering the charge, made up of an electric rotor combined with a light and a reflective shade, or of either a strobe-like or flash-like source of light.

The device likewise includes a suitable external connector, by means of which, with the aid of a back-up cable fitted with a charger, it can be powered via the corresponding external electric energy supply, in order to guarantee the working of the device in the event of discharge of its internal battery and to recharge the same when it is flat.

Some drawings are provided to help understand the proposed device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1.—Section drawing of the device, in which the different parts that compose it can be appreciated.

FIG. 2.—Enlarged section drawing of the automatic activation switch, in which the different elements that compose it can be appreciated.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The said figures illustrate how the AUTOMATIC MOBILE LUMINOUS DEVICE, which is the object of the present invention, is made from a casing (1), to which a translucent screen is fastened by means of a thread or screws (2). The base of the casing (1) is fitted on the outside with several anchoring magnets (3), to keep the said casing in place when it is laid on a sufficiently dense metal platform (4). The said casing (1) is fitted on its inside, preferably in its centre of gravity, with an automatically activated switch (5), a conventional connector (6) fitted with an activation pin (7), a rechargeable battery (8), and an external back-up connector (9), apart from the charge (10), which can be an element combining rotation and light, or simply a strobe-type luminous one; all of which is interconnected with the corresponding wiring, making sure that the charge (10) is perfectly insulated from the rest of the mechanisms that make up the device.

The automatic activation switch (5) is made up of a cylinder (13) in the shape of an inverted cup, inside which is a cylindrical permanent magnet (11) acting as a piston, fitted with an axle (12) that emerges from the centre of gravity in the flat upper side, crosses a hollow undercut (17) created for the purpose on the base of the cylinder (13), and ends up welded to an inverted cylindrical cup (14), that externally envelops the cylinder (13). The said cylindrical cup (14) is fitted with a flange (16) which is solidly connected to the pin (7) of the conventional connector (6). A coil spring is placed (15) between both cylinders (13) (14), in order to keep the permanent magnet (11) raised, when sufficient force of attraction is not exerted on the head of the said permanent magnet (11). The tolerance limit of the permanent magnet (11), the axle (12), the undercut (17), and the cylinders (13) (14) is enough to ensure, all the parts being coupled together, the free swaying movement of the unit made up by the permanent magnet (11), axle (12) and cylinder (14). Nevertheless, the said movement is limited by the existence of several stops (18) (19), solidly connected to each other, emerging from the external cavity of the cylinder (13) and the internal cavity of the cylinder (14).

Consequently, the device works as follows: when the device manually couples by means of its casing (1) with a sufficiently dense metal platform (4), the former is fastened to the said surface by means of its magnets (3); in a parallel fashion, this gives rise to the automatic movement of the permanent magnet (11) which, overcoming the resistance of the coil spring (15), with its downward movement, will drag the external cylinder (14), thus activating the connector (6) as a result of the thrust of the flange (11), causing the electrical circuit to close, and, consequently, activating the charge (10), then powered by the battery (8). When the device is removed from the metal platform (4), the permanent magnet (11) will be freed from the attraction energy of the said metal platform (4), the opposite movement being caused by the coil spring (15), until the stops (18) (19) restrict its rise. In the course of the vertical upward movement, the connector (6) will be disconnected, thus opening the electrical circuit, deactivating the powering of the charge (10), and, as a result, the device will be disconnected.

The device is likewise fitted with an external back-up connector (9) for recharging the battery (8) when the latter no longer has enough energy to activate the charge (10), it being possible for the said charge to be made irrespective of whether the device is activated or deactivated, to allow the powering of the charge (10) when the use of the back-up cable is indispensable as a consequence of the lack of energy in the battery (8). 

1. An automatic mobile luminous device, though of the common emergency mobile luminous device type, it is characterised by having a base or casing (1) and a translucent screen (2), which are joined together to form one single element. Externally, the base of the casing (1) is fitted with one or two permanent magnets (3) in order to block and stabilise the said casing (1) when it is placed on a sufficiently dense metal platform (4). Internally, the said casing (1) is fitted with an automatic activation switch (5), which is solidly attached to a connector (6) by means of a flange (16) which is in turn attached to a pin (7); the said connector (6) is in turn attached by means of conventional wiring to a rechargeable battery (8), an external back-up connector (9), and the charge (10), perfectly insulated from the rest of the elements making up the device by means of any type of separating element. The automatic activation switch (5) is fitted with a cylindrically shaped permanent magnet (11), housed inside a cylindrical cavity (13), it is in turn fitted with an axle (12) which crosses the said cylindrical cavity (13), to form an integral element with a cylindrical cup (14), all of these three pieces forming one single mobile unit. Between the cylindrical cup (14) and the base of the cylindrical cavity (13), a coil spring (15) is placed in order to keep the unit made up by the permanent magnet (11), axle (12), and cylindrical cup (14) raised, when the device is not resting on a metal surface (4). A flange (16) on one side of the cylindrical cup (14) is solidly connected to the end of a pin (7) that activates and deactivates the connector (6), to produce the activation of the charge (10) when the device is resting on the said metal platform (4), the said charge (10) being powered by the energy coming from a battery (8), placed inside the casing (1). Movement of the unit formed by the permanent magnet (11), axle (12), cylindrical cup (14), and flange (16) is limited by several stops, (18) and (19), arranged between the facing superficies of the cylindrical cavity (13) and the cylindrical cup (14). The device, which does not have a connecting cable solidly connected to an external power source, is composed of an external connector (9), in order to set the powering of the charging (10) and recharging of the battery (8), by means of a back-up charger connected to an external power source, when the said battery (8) lacks power.
 2. Automatic mobile luminous device, according to claim 1, characterised in that it is fitted with an automatic activation switch (5), made up of a permanent magnet (11) which, housed inside a cylindrical cavity (13), is in turn fitted with an axle (12) which emerges vertically from its centre of gravity and crosses the cylindrical cavity (13) through an undercut (17), to become an integral part of a cylindrical cup (14), these three parts forming a mobile unit. Between the cylindrical cup (14) and the base of the cylindrical cavity (13), a coil spring (15) is placed in order to keep the unit formed by the permanent magnet (11), axle (12) and cylindrical cup (14) raised, while the device is not resting on a metal platform (4). A flange (16) emerging from one side of the cylindrical cup (14) is solidly connected to the end of a pin (7) for activating and deactivating a connector (6), in order to activate and deactivate charging (10) depending on whether the device is resting on a metal platform (4) or not. The movement of the unit formed by the permanent magnet (11), axle (12), cylindrical cup (14), and flange (16) is limited by several stops, (18) and (19), arranged on the facing surfaces of the cylindrical cavity (13) and the cylindrical cup (14).
 3. Automatic mobile luminous device, according to claim 1, characterised in that the flange (16), and the connector (6) can be replaced by any other commonly-known connecting instrument, established on the basis of the principle of the swaying movement of the permanent magnet (11) inside the cylindrical cavity (13).
 4. Automatic mobile luminous device, according to claim 1, characterised in that the cylindrical cup (14), flange (16) and stops, (18) and (19), can be removed, the limited swaying movement of the permanent magnet (11) being set by the contact of its own mass with the upper limit of the cylindrical cavity (13).
 5. Automatic mobile luminous device, according to claim 1, characterised in that the battery (8) is rechargeable, by means of a back-up charger coupled by wiring between any external power source and an external back-up connector (9) driven into the casing (1).
 6. Automatic mobile luminous device, according to claim 1, characterised in that the charge (10) can be made up of a fixed-light lamp, combined or not with a rotor and other reflective elements, or by a stroboscopic-type lamp.
 7. Automatic mobile luminous device, according to claim 1, characterised in that the connector (6) presents its connections to the feed battery (8), the external back-up connector (9) and to the charge (10), in a pre-set fashion so that, by means of any charging instrument connected by wire between an external power source and the external back-up connector (9), the powering of the charge (10) is set at the same time as the battery (8) is being recharged, while it is resting on a metal platform (4); and only the battery (8) is recharged when the device is not resting on a metal platform (4).
 8. Automatic mobile luminous device, according to claim 1, characterised in that the permanent anchoring magnets (3) can be combined with suction pads in order to establish the complete lateral immobility of the casing (1) on the metal platform (4).
 9. Automatic mobile luminous device, according to claim 1, characterised in that the charge (10) is perfectly insulated from the rest of the mechanisms included in the casing (1), by means of any separating element. 